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Prioritizing Threats to Improve Conservation Strategy for the Tiger Panthera Tigris in the Sundarbans Reserve Forest of Bangladesh

Abdul Aziz*
Department of Zoology, Jahangirnagar University, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Adamc. D. Barlow
Zoological Society of London, Regent’s Park, London, UK

Christinac. Greenwood
Department of Zoology, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh

Abstract/ Executive Summary:

Tigers Panthera tigris face a wide and complex array of threats. Given limited time and resources it is essential to direct conservation actions based on the relative importance of each threat. The Sundarbans Reserve Forest is the last stronghold of tigers in Bangladesh and supports one of the largest populations of tigers in the world. As in other tiger landscapes, the threats faced by the tigers have yet to be assessed. This study follows an approach developed by The Nature Conservancy to identify and prioritize threats and set a time-frame for their reduction. We identified a total of 23 threats; four were linked to tigers, two to prey and 17 to habitat. Of the identified threats, the highest ranked included poaching of tigers, poaching of prey, sea-level rise,upstream water extraction/divergence, wood collection, fishing, and harvesting of other aquatic resources. All threats were then scheduled for reduction, based on the rank and current information base for each threat and the likely time-frame for implementing potential solutions. This study demonstrates how the application of a prioritization framework can greatly improve the focus and likelihood of success of any species- or ecosystem-based conservation programme.

Keywords: Bangladesh, Panthera tigris, Sundarbans Reserve Forest, Threat prioritization, Tiger

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Start Date:

End Date:

Program Area: Conservation and Biodiversity

Commodity: Animal

Objectives:

Using tigers in the Sundarbans as a case study we demonstrate how using a structured approach to threat prioritization could improve planning for species conservation in other landscapes.

Methodology:

Defining project scope and biological targets The TNC approach requires a definition of the project scope (‘the place where the biodiversity of interest to the project is located’; TNC, 2007). For this case study the scope was defined as the 6,017 km² Sundarbans Reserve Forest of Bangladesh; a UNESCO world heritage site, a RAMSAR site, and a Tiger Conservation Landscape of global importance (Sanderson et al., 2006). The Bangladesh Forest Department is the custodian of the Forest, which is delineated into four ranges and 55 compartments, contains three Wildlife Sanctuaries (Sundarbans West,715 km²; Sundarbans South, 370 km²; Sundarbans East,312 km²), and is protected by.90 guard posts (Ahmad et al., 2009). Biological targets, which can be components of the ecosystem or focal species, are then selected as the basis for setting conservation objectives, carrying out conservation actions and evaluating progress (Salafsky et al., 2002; TNC,2007). For the Sundarbans Reserve Forest, the tiger was selected as the focal species, tiger prey because its status is directly linked to the status of the tiger population (Karanthet al.,2004), and habitat because it is essential for the survival of tiger and prey (Seidensticker,1986; Sunquist, 2010). Assessing viability of biological targets The biological targets were assessed in terms of their current and desired viability. The viability of a target is the state or health of that target, defined in terms of key ecological attributes (TNC, 2007). Such an attribute is‘an aspect of a target’s biology or ecology that if present defines a healthy target, and if missing or altered would lead to the outright loss or extreme degradation of that target over time’ (TNC, 2007). Each attribute has one or more indicators that allow measurement of the attribute’s state; their value can be set as very good, good, fair, or poor (TNC, 2007). A value is set for the current state of each indicator based on existing knowledge, and a second value is set for the desired future state of each indicator based on what the conservation project would like to achieve given the current state and potential for improvement (TNC,2007). These key ecological attributes therefore provide a way of evaluating changes in the state of each target over time and act as a basis for measurement of success of the conservation project. The attributes and their indicators were selected for each target, considering the information available and the approaches available to monitor their change over time. A literature review was carried out to collect information to assess the current viability of the targets in terms of the current state of their key ecological attributes. The desired states of the biological targets were set, considering their current state and their potential for improvement over the time-frame of the Bangladesh Tiger Action Plan.

Source of Information: 2013 Fauna & Flora International, Oryx, Page 1 of 9

Article Link (Online Journal): doi:10.1017/S0030605311001682

Funding Source:

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Achievement/Findings:

Despite lacking some information on target viability and threats, however, the framework helped the Forest Department and the Wild Team start conservation actions to tack lethe high-priority threats. The Forest Department are now implementing a 5-year programme to improve protection of the Sundarbans Reserve Forest, and Wild Team are preparing social marketing campaigns to address killing of stray tigers and poaching of deer, and carrying out research to fill in the information gaps identified through the assessment of threats.Thefindings of this case study may also be applicable to the Sundarbans in India because of the similarity of the ecological settings. The conservation framework could also be useful to improve strategies for tiger conservation in all Tiger Conservation Landscapes and could be adapted and applied to improve conservation of other species and eco-systems

Knowledge Management: Journal